


A Good Song Never Dies

by bye_bye_firefly



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Bisexual Saihara Shuichi, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, Detective Saihara Shuichi, Eventual Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, Exhaustion, Gunshot Wounds, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Injury Recovery, Literal Sleeping Together, Long, M/M, Oma Kokichi Is a Little Shit, One Shot, Out of Character Oma Kokichi, Phantom Thief Oma Kokichi, Sharing a Bed, Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, Sleepiness, Sleepy Boys, Stitches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26377144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bye_bye_firefly/pseuds/bye_bye_firefly
Summary: Long known rivals, a story for the ages: hero vs. villain, the phantom thief vs. the detective! A challenge for one as he is for the other. Gadgets, goons, sometimes a little bit of fingerprint collecting but otherwise, nonstop action!Until tonight, that is. Everyone's got their weakness, right?
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 30
Kudos: 179





	A Good Song Never Dies

**Author's Note:**

> yes i WILL make a long fic its my BIRTHDAY bitches i can do what i WANT drown in the content you think i CARE?? october 2nd is MY FUCKING DAY and i will make sure the WORLD KNOWS

Why did he have to be so agile? Shuichi couldn't help but ponder the question as he chased after him. Him and his stupid mask, constantly flying through the air, running faster than he could think. He was always a step ahead of him. It didn't make any sense to him- and for good reason! He'd been working on this case for months now and he was always so close to him yet _so, so_ far. He was too slippery. He fell between his fingers each time like grains of sand. There were always traces of him lost on his fingers but he was gone in a matter of seconds. He didn't want a little bit; he wanted _all_ of him.

He wore that stupid smile on his face and always had some trick up his sleeve, one of them being a bunch of children who were apparently his apprentices. Just what he needed, right? More copies of _him._ It was almost impressive. The phantom thief: charismatic and too intelligent for his own good. Even as Shuichi chased after him, gaining ground as he forced his long legs to move faster and take wider strides, he was looking for something new. He took a gem on the way out, tossing the items in a satchel bag that was spewing money like something out of a cartoon. Make that _five-hundred_ million to charge him for.

That was when Shuichi realised there was a window leading to the outside of the building, making him shout instinctively, "Stop running!" He just laughed as he took out a grappling hook and stood still as he turned to look at him with that ridiculous smirk on his face. For a moment, Shuichi was only a few centimetres away, making his eyes widen and the phantom thief's face to quickly scrunch up in a panic before he slipped away once again. There was a crash of glass, making him stop and curl into a ball, shielding his face from the falling glass shards.

Just like that, he was gone. There were a few gunshots of the police who were outside, but Shuichi had no doubt in his mind that he was fine. He looked around and stood up, letting out an angry sigh. Another night, another failed sting. All that was left to do was count up the valuables he stole. Twisting around, he saw his boss coming closer. He was definitely angry. He took a deep breath before approaching him, ready to get bitched at again. Best detective in the country put on the most difficult case in the country and this was the treatment he got.

Whatever. He would catch him someday, even if he didn't know his identity.

Shuichi was sifting through files at his desk, bouncing his leg as he did so. Nothing connected to anything else. There weren't even coincidences between him and reality. Shuichi was this close to balling everything into a little ball and stopping for the night out of frustration. Not only was he defeated tonight but he was trying to connect things that didn't have any connection. He just needed to relax. He put the files down and got out of his chair, going downstairs to get himself a cup of water.

The quiet of his house was comforting. Any other place he would frequent, it would be loud and fast, but here, he could take all the time in the world and just breathe. There was never any breathing room for him, was there? The phantom thief made sure of that. He sighed to himself and took a drink from his glass, slumping down to the tiled floor to unwind. As he sat there, drinking from his glass in the middle of the night, he realised water really _did_ taste different at night.

That was when the doorbell rang. He looked up and sighed, deciding not to answer. No need for more human interaction. He could just read and pretend whoever's there doesn't-

The doorbell rang again. That made Shuichi stand up with a cocked eyebrow. Surely, it wasn't that-

The doorbell rang again, and again, and again until finally, Shuichi realised it might be important. He fumbled to put his water down and made it to the door, opening it a bit and letting his eyes widen.

Broken mask in hand, hat tilted slightly on his head, red dripping through his white suit, a pale phantom thief stood helplessly in front of him. He looked at him with half-lidded eyes and smiled nervously up at him, quietly slurring out, "'Is was the only place I thought of..." And with that, he fell into his arms, arms which Shuichi scrambled to make work. He was so light. He'd never had him this close before, he'd never felt him before, never was able to grab him and take him to his office. This was all so sudden.

"H-Huh?" he stuttered. He stared down at the small body, watching as his life force coated his carpet in thick red. How did he even get hurt? How did this happen? How did he know where he was? Even as he questioned all these things, he was placing him against the couch and racing to get a towel or two. Stitches. If he was bleeding this much, he needed stitches. He laid the towel over the couch and quickly lifted the little phantom thief off the floor to put him on it.

Once he was on the couch, he ran to get the first aid kit. He wasn't sure why he was in such a hurry to give him medical attention, but he didn't have time to second-guess himself. He knew enough about nursing to be able to take care of him and he was going to take care of him if it was the last thing he did. He could use the excuse that he just wanted him alive after spending all this time catching him. It made sense, didn't it? Whatever; he grabbed a pair of scissors and cut into his shirt to reach the wound.

He cleaned the blood off with a warm wet rag and quickly found the cause of the wound: a bullet. It ripped through him and left no metal inside, but even if it did, he wasn't sure if there was anything to do about that. He disinfected the wound, stopping when the phantom thief tensed up suddenly and whimpered. "Breathe," he said, not bothering to go any easier on him. With the wound disinfected and stitched, he quickly wrapped it up and taped the bandages down. He hoped that was the right way to do it.

He watched as he breathed quick, harsh breaths, frowning a bit. He was so small. Normally, he was flying through the air, free as a bird, dodging everything he threw at him, but now, he was laying here, shivering on the couch. Shuichi sighed and gently took his jacket for him, placing it beside him on the floor. "I'm gonna get you some different clothes to wear, alright? Just sit there."

"Nowhere else I _can_ go..."

Based on how much he was shivering, he could use a sweater and sweatpants. Those would probably be good choices, right? He dug through his wardrobe and pulled out a thick, wool sweater and some soft sweatpants. This time, he couldn't come up with an excuse as to why he was doing any of this. He was giving him specifically his clothes in the hopes he would be comfy. He wasn't even thinking about any alternative motives he could have to want to give him this stuff; he just thought he was cold. 

Once he was beside him, he paused before doing anything, watching his closed, tired eyes for a moment. "You need to stay awake."

"Nuh-uh," he mumbled teasingly. How did he have the energy to be an asshole right now?

"I'm serious. If you fall asleep, I'll put in you in the recovery position and make sure you're laying on your bullethole."

He opened his eyes and glared at him, pouting before rubbing his eyes. "So, what comes next? Now that I'm fixed up, are you gonna rough me up or just call for backup?" His voice was exhausted, so Shuichi knew he was asking this to be serious. Of course, he would call for backup. At some point. Maybe not now. Definitely not now. But not too far into the future. If he waited for too long, then he would probably recover enough to get away. Or...maybe not.

"I'll call for backup, but not right now. I need some information and I also need to get you dressed."

"If you want my name, it's Kaito," he said easily. He sat up with a soft whimper and slowly took his shirt off, making grabby hands for the sweater. Shuichi handed it over and watched as his small body drowned in the brown wool, his thin body warming up inside of it. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his sleeves, the usual lively air completely gone from him. It made Shuichi raise a brow, something "Kaito" instantly noticed. "What is it?"

"Your name isn't Kaito."

He blinked vacantly at him for five seconds before asking, "What?"

"Are you taking the name from TV? Kaito Mamota? The first man on Mars?" The look on his face said everything he needed to know. He looked at him with so much confusion on his face that you might have thought Shuichi had made a horrible joke, a joke so bad that it was hard to process. "What's your real name?"

He sighed before giving up and sighing out, "Kokichi."

He smirked and nodded at him as if he had transcended intelligence itself. Still, Kokichi just yawned and relaxed on the couch, his expression remaining mostly the same. There were small shifts every so often, but he was otherwise relaxed and tired. "You're being really calm about all this."

"Well, you were my last option," he said. "It's been a bad night."

"Still, you always seem so excited..." He bent down, studying him with his fist to his chin. It was almost an instinct for him to watch him like this. He'd never been this close for so long; it was almost surprising that Kokichi wasn't trying to get away from him and was, in fact, sharing vital information about himself freely. "You didn't lose that much blood, I don't think. You couldn't have- could you?" Kokichi tilted his head and laughed at him as he sat there, copying his pose. That was enough embarrassment for tonight; Shuichi jumped out of his stupor and walked to the kitchen. "I'll make you something to eat."

"Aww, that was fun, though! I'm not even hungry!"

"Change into those sweatpants while I'm cooking."

He groaned softly but did as he said, kicking his legs softly on the couch. Shuichi would sometimes peek out from around the corner to study Kokichi's every movement. He would bounce up and down, yawn from time to time. At one point, he caught him curl up in the corner of the couch, his head gently resting against the arm, so close to sleeping, but just as he caught himself drifting off, he would perk his head up. Maybe the recovery position threat was enough to make him stay up. So, he had an aversion to pain, huh?

Why was he collecting data on him, though? He wasn't going to chase after him anymore. He already told him his fate: he was going to call back up at some point. Kokichi was very accepting of his fate. He was falling asleep in his enemy's house, for Christ's sake. Maybe he was weak from the long night spent running around town, stealing, and tending to a gunshot wound before coming here, but he surely didn't lose so much blood that he was this tired. It just didn't make sense. 

While he was cooking, checking on the dish now and then, he thought about it and as he put himself into the mind of Kokichi, the situation just became stranger and stranger. He was a phantom thief; he'd watched him steal more than he'd ever been able to own. If the estimated amounts of stolen goods were correct, he would be able to buy a nice house where no one would suspect him and then some. They already knew he had the money for gadgets because they'd seen those gadgets in action. It just didn't make sense.

"Hey, Kokichi?" He poked his head out of the kitchen and held back a laugh when Kokichi suddenly startled awake, looking back at him.

"What...?"

"I have to ask you a few questions." He put the spoon he was holding on the clean counter for a moment, focusing on Kokichi for the time being. "Would that be okay?"

"Sure," he mumbled. "Ask away."

"How did you find this address?"

He laughed and said, "You'd be surprised how easy it is to find someone's address when their routine is the same every day. I just followed you around for a day because that was going to be one of my big plans: I was gonna show up at your house, ambush you, maybe brainwash you into thinking my cause is the good one. I mean, imagine it! The villain breaks into the hero's house, snatches him away, and turns him into the villain he never thought he could be!"

He stared at him and shook his head. "I hope you know that would never work."

"Oh, yeah," he said. "I tried breaking in the first time I got here. Didn't go well!"

He what?

"Why did you come here?"

He thought about the question and said, "I didn't have anywhere else to go."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I didn't have anywhere else to go. I don't exactly have a place of residence, Shumai."

That flustered him enough to stutter out, "Wh- 'Sh-Shumai?'"

He smiled and explained, "Yeah, Shumai. 'Cause your name's Shuichi. Shumai, the dumplings? Like, with dim sum? Shumai!"

Shuichi was taken aback, his mouth opening and closing, unable to form words as to how he felt about that. It was strange, but he was also strangely okay with it. Shumai. He'd never been called that before. "Wh-What do you mean you don't have a place of residence? You're rich, Kokichi. You steal whatever you want."

"Not really," he said.

"'Not really?!' You've stolen millions!"

"Yeah, and gave away millions, too." He yawned again and quickly wiped up his face as if that would make a difference. "The kids who follow me around need to live, ya know."

He raised a brow and asked, "What?"

"Listen, Shuichi: those kids aren't _just_ my goons. They're kids who need to be able to eat and survive and have shelter for the night and because I can't afford to house that many children, I give them enough money for tomorrow because they _do_ go to school and they _do_ have people relying on them." He looked at the floor and said, "I...I care deeply about them and their communities. I fund them. I can't just show up at their houses and expect everything to be okay, especially not in _that_ getup." He shook his head, sighing softly.

"You..." He closed his eyes tightly to try and picture it, but it was so hard to do so. "You steal to give to those kids?"

"Well, not just them," he said. "A lot of people. There are a lot of people relying on my funds. Sometimes, I just sponsor families for fun. I know some people can't afford a life of crime. That's why I'm here."

That was a good cause in theory, but...

"You still stole from people-"

"Not _people,"_ he reminded him, "huge corporations. The amount of money I stole from casinos or rich businessmen's establishments- none of that matters. Casinos are designed to take your money, never give it back, and those rich guys are called fat cats for a reason." He smiled at him like he was justified. "I'm just the modern-day Robinhood, right?"

He couldn't deny it. "Thievery is still thievery."

"Is it _really_ stealing when the person you're stealing from will see what you stole from them in a day? Or a few hours?"

"It's not about that. It's about you stealing millions."

He sighed and rested his head on the couch cushions. "Alright," he breathed out. "I get it." There was a hint of defeat in his eyes that Shuichi could read. Did he think he could get out of his punishment just by saying all of that? It almost made him believe that he was lying to him again. But...that defeat wasn't over a failed lie. No, he had to have been disappointed because, if what he was saying was true, then the people who were relying on him were doomed. Without his money, they were going to suffer.

But that wasn't his money to give. Those were stolen funds. 

He finished the meal- chicken and rice, one of the only comfort foods he knew how to make and had leftovers for- and brought the bowl out, setting it on the coffee table in front of the couch before turning to look at Kokichi. He was hugging a pillow, his eyes completely closed and his breath evening out. He almost felt bad even thinking about waking him up again, but he needed to eat. He could probably make him some sugar water to help him get a little energy back as well as help him through the night. He wasn't as pale as before, but he certainly wasn't full of colour like he should have been.

Reaching for his shoulder, he quietly called, "Kokichi, I made you something to eat."

His eyes blinked open once he placed his hand on him, a soft whine coming out. "I'm not hungry..."

"You have to be hungry, Kokichi. You've been running around all night and half of it, you've been bleeding." He bent down, bringing a spoonful to his mouth. He watched as his eyes blinked a few times and his mouth opened to try it, making him smile. He fed him the bite, letting him take his time before he sat up completely and took the bowl to eat. "There you go." With that settled, he got up and walked to the kitchen to get on that sugar water.

Soon, Kokichi had everything he needed and was almost done with the bowl of food. He wasn't shivering and certainly doing better than before, but his energy was still completely gone. Shuichi could tell as he got to the end of his meal, he was only awake because he was threatened to stay awake. He sat at the other end of the couch, reading a book quietly, always keeping him in his sight. From time to time, he would look up from the pages and watch Kokichi's face, his eyes closing for a few seconds before slowly opening back up. Maybe...

No. He decided against that idea. There was no way he was letting him catch a break; he never gave _him_ a break. He kept reading as if nothing was going on, remaining silent. Once Kokichi was done with his meal, he put the bowl down on the coffee table and gently scratched at his eyes, the sleeves getting in his way a little. Sighing softly, he leaned back into the cushions and looked at Shuichi, watching him instead of it being the other way around. "I've read that book," he commented.

Shuichi looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, it's really good so far."

"The ending sucks," he mumbled, curling up into a little ball. "Can I go to bed now...?"

He bookmarked his place in the book and said, "Not yet."

"You're just getting a kick out of this, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"You like seeing me so tired. This is a form of torture, right?" He turned to face him completely, his head resting on the cushions, his eyes barely open. Shuichi felt a little bad now. Just a little. "Can I go to bed? I can't exactly escape when I'm asleep. Or injured. My side still hurts..."

After a moment of thinking, he got up and helped him to his feet, leading him upstairs. Kokichi was moving slower than usual, holding his wound instead of focusing on walking. Shuichi paused before asking, "Do you need some help?"

"I'm fine," he rasped with a pained expression covering his face.

He stopped to think about whether or not it was a good idea to help him despite him rejecting the assistance. His side was bothering him and he would admit that his stairs were steep. He was tired, he was in pain, Shuichi was probably taller and stronger than him. He didn't weigh much. Once Kokichi reached the foot of the stairs and tried to climb up, Shuichi gently lifted him and carried him the rest of the way, which Kokichi said nothing about. Instead, he wore a shocked look on his face, his shoulders tensing up before relaxing entirely, his eyes looking around to see if this was a trap. He held onto his brown sleeves instinctively, as if he was a child clutching his blanket.

"Are you alright?" Shuichi asked.

"I'm fine." This time, he didn't look in pain. Just a little frightened, is all.

Shuichi supported him to the best of his ability, making sure not to press against his wound or injure him more. He took him to the only bedroom in the house: his room. This was the only bed he had. He didn't normally have any guests over, so he never thought about getting another bed. It may have been a good idea to get one earlier. Unfortunately, it wouldn't matter; the guest bedroom was his office and the office room was his library, which felt like a logical decision before Kokichi showed up at his house in the middle of the night.

Kokichi seemed to immediately understand that this was his bedroom and glanced at him with a hint of confusion in his eyes. Shuichi refused to meet his eyes and instead pretended like nothing was wrong, putting him in the bed and letting him sit in the middle of it, the two of them exchanging looks before he finally asked, "Are you going to lay down?"

"This is your room, right?"

"Y-Yes..."

"And...I'm going to be sleeping in your bed, right?"

"Yep..."

It was silent before he blurted out, "This is deffo flirting."

"I-It's not!"

And so, he took five minutes of time Kokichi could have spent sleeping to explain to him the layout of his house and the reasons why he was putting him in his bed, an explanation Kokichi didn't need- he _was_ just teasing him, after all- but an explanation he listened to. He would stutter and his hand movements were getting more erratic by the minute, all of his energy put into remembering all the decisions he made when he first moved in and began recounting each one to him.

When he was over, there was another round of silence before Kokichi said, "This is still flirting."

Shuichi sighed before giving up and shook his head. "Look, you'll be here alone. I'll be downstairs, so don't worry about it."

"What if I wanna sleep next to you?"

That flustered him even more. "N-No."

Kokichi laughed and fell back into bed, getting comfortable where he was. It was hard with the wound; Shuichi knew he would probably need painkillers. He helped him with his blankets by lifting them over and on top of his small body. He looked up at Shuichi, those large eyes sunken into his face, providing proof of his exhaustion. He couldn't help but feel bad for him. Everything about this situation left him feeling as if he shouldn't have felt this way, but still, he couldn't control himself. Kokichi looked so helpless.

Rather than feel powerful from the realisation, he felt awful. He wanted to help but he couldn't help much. "I'll go look for pain killers. I know I had some from a while ago."

"Good," he sighed. He curled into a ball on his good side and yawned, letting his eyes shut. He seemed comfortable enough.

Shuichi left the room as quietly as possible but came back not too long after with pills in hand. "Kokichi," he whispered. He didn't answer. He came to his bedside and studied his sleeping body for a moment. He slept in the middle of the bed, but with his entire curled in on itself as if he was a baby. He couldn't help but wonder if what they said about personalities and sleeping positions was true. If it were, and he had never learned about this during his time in school, then Kokichi was acting big and brave but was really scared. Perhaps that was how he was all the time.

Profiling _was_ his job, along with detective work. It sort of came with the package, so as he watched the man he had been trying to catch for ages snooze away in his bed after being shot, he felt a sense of pride and morbid curiosity. What kind of person was Kokichi? He didn't even know him personally; he only knew his alter ego. He placed the pills on the nightstand with the glass of water he brought for him and walked out of the room to leave him be. He couldn't find solid proof of who he was just based off of how he breathed in his sleep.

He laid down on the couch and wiped both his hands down his face, calming down from the events of the night. Kokichi was probably going to be gone in the morning. Not probably; definitely. He was going to be gone, the window left wide open. There would be traces of him leaving in the middle of the night, probably right after he left him alone. Oh, whatever. He didn't have the energy left to care that much. If it was this easy to get to him the first time, he could probably set something up to trap him. He was giving him experience with him anyway.

He had an aversion to pain; he was more than willing to give up information in a hopeless situation; based on how long it took him to get help, he was stubborn enough to suffer and possibly die just so he could get away. No, maybe it was more about pride. If he wanted to get the help he desperately needed, he technically could have gotten it; the thing was that he refused until he had no choice but to. He fell into his arms. He was so weak, he fell into his arms. Kokichi had to have been prideful until he thought it was the end.

Sunlight shone through the curtains, waking Shuichi up when bits of sunlight faded in and out of his sight. With a soft whine, he raised his arm and put it over his eyes, sitting silently. He felt his breath moving through his chest, making his body rise like bread dough. The whole house was quiet. Kokichi had to have left; there was no point in checking because it was true and he knew it. Well...didn't _know_ it, but was certainly inclined to believe it to be true. He tried to go back to sleep, tried to relax and force himself back into a dream, but he just couldn't.

He sat up and stretched, deciding to spend some of his morning at least checking that Kokichi was gone. He didn't exactly want him to be hiding around the corner so he could jump out and attack him. Groggily, he got up and walked upstairs, rubbing his eyes the whole way. When he made it to the room and opened the door nonchalantly, he realised at the last second that Kokichi was still curled in the middle of the bed. By then, Shuichi had no time to stop the door from hitting the doorstopper and making a soft _clunk._

Kokichi blinked a few times before humming softly and sitting up to look at him. "What...?"

"Sorry, I didn't..." He sighed and came to his side. "You're up now, so I might as well check on your side. Take those pills over there," he said as he motioned to the nightstand. Kokichi didn't bother to wait and popped them into his mouth. He moved and laid down so he could check on the wound, already half-asleep. If it weren't for the sudden awakening, Shuichi would have blamed the wound. When Kokichi's sweater was finally lifted, Shuichi saw that the bandages needed a change anyway and that blood loss was not an issue anymore.

"You're lucky," he advised him. "You're doing fine and you didn't even need to go to the hospital. I would recommend still going, but-"

"I'm not going," he mumbled.

"Why not?"

"Papers, documents, questions..." He yawned and turned to look at him as he changed his bandage. An intimate exchange. It was something Shuichi couldn't help but note. The way Kokichi had no choice but to look at him, how tenderly he had to touch his wounds, how _worried_ he was about him... "I can't have anyone figuring out who I am." Somehow, the words were sensual. They hinted at Kokichi's both perceived superiority just by the way he said "anyone"- as if Shuichi wasn't just _anyone-_ and the secrecy between the two. Kokichi already knew the outcome, as did Shuichi.

What was wrong with him? He was admitting to himself that he wouldn't tell anyone about this encounter, which went completely against the plan. He should've called for backup the moment he saw Kokichi in the room- but he didn't. Why? How could he find out everything about Kokichi based on the few words he said and the things he did but couldn't figure out what was wrong with himself? _Himself!_ He wasn't even being cryptic and yet he could solve Kokichi's riddles and lies with ease.

Shuichi quietly asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said with a tired expression. "Your bed is really comfy."

"That's good," he answered with a smile. "You slept well, then?"

"As well as I could. I got shot, you know..."

"I know." He finished changing the bandages and put his sweater back over his middle. "You're pretty thin, Kokichi. Do you...eat anything?"

"A _ton,"_ he lied. "Five meals a day. You know how Hobbits eat? First breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses?"

"I've read and watched The Lord of the Rings, Kokichi."

"That's how I eat."

Shuichi did not call him out on his lie, but he knew he was lying based on the fact that his ribs were showing. He sure as hell was not eating luncheon, afternoon tea, and probably not even dinner. If he had to bet on it, he was eating one meal a day at most. "Kokichi, you have all this money and you don't spend it eating."

"I do, though."

"You're lying to me."

"Nuh-uh!"

Was he just a pathological liar or did he not trust him? He sighed and gave up on that line of questioning, instead deciding to help him sit up. "You want to go back to sleep, right?" And that's when he noticed he was starting to shiver. With his hand on his back, he felt him shivering in his palm, which was worrying enough. "Are you alright? Do you need any more blankets?"

Kokichi came closer to Shuichi without answering the question and just leaned into his chest, his shivering starting to calm down. He held still for him and kept one hand on his back, not sure of what to do next. He leaned so heavily into him and he seemed to be relaxing, which surprised Shuichi even more. Wasn't he the guy who was hunting him down for a year? The chases, the threats, the frustration- it all seemed to melt away in this instant because Kokichi wanted to be warm. Shuichi wondered if he was warm. Judging by Kokichi's half-asleep expression, he was.

"Kokichi?"

He mumbled something he didn't quite catch and adjusted the position of his head. He tilted it up towards him and rubbed his eyes with his free hand, that pitiful expression hitting the core of Shuichi's heart. "You're warm," he commented sleepily as he relaxed into him. "It's really nice..."

"That's good." His voice was steady but his heart was not. He had a feeling Kokichi already knew that, but thinking that only made his heart beat faster. He took a deep breath and placed Kokichi back in bed but as he tucked him in, Kokichi raised a hand to stop him. There was a moment of silence between the two of them before Shuichi asked, "What is it?" 

"Can you stay here?" There was a bit of fear in his voice, but Shuichi wasn't able to decipher what the fear was of. Was it a fear of him leaving, rejecting him, therefore leading him to believe that Kokichi had a fear of failure or rejection? Or was it something more personal? Was it a fear of being alone in the room without him? If that were so, he wouldn't have fallen asleep so easily last night, but still, things can happen that way, can't they? He was falling asleep the whole night. Still, that look in his eyes, the way they slowly lost their gleam as the silence grew thicker between them. He could tell he wanted to say never mind.

"Sure," Shuichi agreed. "Where should I stay?"

"On the bed?" Kokichi didn't command him; he asked. It was somewhat strange, considering what Shuichi had thought about him. He was arrogant; that was the reason why he pulled so many stunts in front of the police. He was a troublemaker at best and a tyrant at worst. He had the whole country wrapped around his finger and the normally confident, suave him made Shuichi believe that he had the whole _world_ under his control, too. They'd never been this close for this long before. Kokichi had never given this much to work with before.

"Do you want me to sit or lay?"

"J-Just sit." The stutter let him know he was unsure. He nodded and walked to his study to get a book because he knew he'd be here for a while. Once he was back, Kokichi was comfy in bed and had tucked himself in, watching the doorway with those large eyes. They met each other's gaze and kept it steady as Shuichi sat at his feet. He crossed his legs and watched a smile crawl up Kokichi's face, making him smile and tilt his head with a cocked eyebrow. "What?"

"I should be asking you that," he teased. "Why are you smiling?"

"You look funny. Do you cross your legs all the time or are you just doing that to seem all high and mighty?"

"I do this sometimes," he said. "What's wrong with it?"

"I don't know. Nothing, I guess, but..." He laughed and closed his eyes, leaving it at that. Shuichi shook his head with a soft smile on his face, letting his eyes turn to his book as he opened the cover. The thin pages made soft crinkling noises, letting Kokichi know Shuichi was still there when he got used to the weight of him near his feet. Kokichi was asleep within a few minutes and Shuichi stayed until he woke a few hours later, well-rested and full of the energy he normally got to see out of him.

It had been a few days, a few days spent getting to know each other. Kokichi didn't have anywhere to go and Shuichi forced him to stay in the house by threatening to cut off his pain killers if he left. He had plenty of time to call for backup, but he never did. He just made breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two. Shuichi was always working from home unless someone called him to let him know Kokichi was out causing havoc. He knew where he was, though, so everything was fine.

He let Kokichi use the TV- it wasn't like he was using it much anymore- and stuck to the corner of the couch, curled up under the covers and reading. After so long spent near Kokichi, he realised that there was a pattern. Every time the clock struck twelve, Kokichi would start getting more and more tired as time passed. It was pure clockwork; Shuichi was watching it happen. Kokichi would curl up on the couch, a pillow under his head, and once twelve in the morning came, he was half-awake.

Watching as his eyes slowly blinked, Shuichi slowly got off the couch and stepped in front of him. "Do you need me to carry you to bed?" 

And having done this a few times, Kokichi sleepily nodded and reached for him with his thin arms like leafless branches on a tree. Shuichi picked him off the couch and slowly carried him upstairs, rubbing his back warmly. With a soft hum, he laid his head on Shuichi's shoulder and asked, "Can you stay with me again tonight...?"

"Sure. Do you want me to just sit at the end of the bed?"

Kokichi hesitated before saying, "I want you to get into bed with me. You make everything a lot warmer..."

He froze up before he laid Kokichi down in bed and just stared, unsure of if he should take the offer or disappoint Kokichi. Still, he couldn't deny that face. There wasn't any time to rethink his decision; he climbed into bed and tucked the two of them in, allowing Kokichi to scoot closer to him for warmth. Kokichi placed his head on his shoulder as he wrapped Shuichi's arm in a hug, pretty much pinning him into place. With nowhere to go, Shuichi blinked in surprise and slowly relaxed for Kokichi's sake. "Is this okay?"

"Perfect," he mumbled. "Super comfy..."

It didn't take long for Kokichi to fall asleep, leaving Shuichi there to stare up at the dark ceiling. The house was completely silent. The only thing he could hear was Kokichi and he was just breathing like a normal sleeping person. Nothing was out of place, everything was absolutely fine, but his heart was beating like no tomorrow- but he couldn't have been freaking out because of Kokichi. No, it wasn't because of Kokichi. He had a crush on a girl- he had a crush on a bunch of girls, for years at a time, too.

Well...Okay, yes, girls, but also, he had a few friends that were just...

No, it was just him being weird. Just weirdness. Whatever. Whatever! Didn't even matter!

...But what if it did matter? Those girls were just as cute as his friends, just in a different way. There was a measurable amount of love he felt for all of them and the common denominator was that it was the same amount of love. He could confirm this; he had friends of both genders and there was certainly a difference between hanging out with friends and hanging out with people he had a crush on. Looking down at Kokichi, the way his sides would slowly heave up and down, looking so safe with him at his side, he felt it again.

It meant something. And then it all clicked.

"Oh, shit," he whispered to the room. He was in love with Kokichi, just like he was in love with his best friend in high school and that girl from his piano classes that he only took for a year. He could blame and thank his parents for that. He wasn't straight and he wasn't gay. He was...bisexual. That seemed like the right term for now. No need to get himself worked up over the revelation; Kokichi was trying to sleep, so that would be pretty rude. Maybe it was a good idea to sleep on it. This was...a whole other world for him, but this week finally made sense.

He shut his eyes and let himself slowly drift off within ten minutes. Kokichi woke up first this time, Shuichi's arm wrapped around his middle and Kokichi hugging his torso. He didn't want to wake him up. There was something so cute about him sleeping, completely unaware of Kokichi, who was watching him from the side. Shuichi was so vulnerable like this, but Kokichi wasn't any better off. There was this sense of trust by default then. Kokichi was fine with that. He placed his head on his chest and smiled, happy with this set of circumstances.

He was kind of glad he got one of the kids from D.I.C.E. to shoot him even if it hurt like hell because he got the break he had been dreaming of.

**Author's Note:**

> did this come out like four hours after my birthday was over? yes  
> i made this fic to please myself because if no one will get me a gift then i will i gotta pick myself up by my bootstraps hop on the horse and slap my own ass because im on my lonesome from here on out man yeehaw  
> did i proofread this? nope! not at all! you TAKE MY SHAME and you TAKE my forgotten details its 4:20 AM as im writing this so LET ME LIVE


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